These days, school district budgets are getting hit on both sides: State budgets are facing drastic cuts across the United States at the same time that many schools are dealing with rising insurance premiums and retirement fund payouts. It's no wonder that technology is often an early casualty in district fiscal planning. Unfortunately, in this…

Total technology immersion doesn't happen overnight, but with vision and determination, transformation can take hold and start to grow. Floydada Independent School District (FISD), winner of the 2010 Sylvia Charp Award for District Innovation in Technology, is a great example of what a district can achieve when starting with a modest tech…

From one-to-one learning initiatives to laptop carts, schools all over the country are using portable computing models to achieve flexible technology access. To maximize learning and engagement at a sustainable cost, selecting the appropriate computing device is of utmost importance to best meet the needs of teachers and students. After all, a…

With no specific state or federal mandates to districts to maintain comprehensive technology infrastructure, how do districts, in the face of mounting financial pressures, continue to build and maintain their networks, integrate their systems, and expand their resources in a way that is reasonably "budget-proof?" In this article, the…

Proving that technology works is not as simple as proving that a new vendor for art supplies is more cost effective. Technology effectiveness requires both the right software and the right implementation. Just having the software is not enough. Proper planning, training, leadership, support, pedagogy, and software use--along with many other…

In the book, "1-to-1 Learning: Laptop Programs That Work," author Pamela Livingston begins with an important point for those who are considering a laptop program for the first time: Newcomers are fortunate to be able to learn from the educators who have started down the 1-to-1 road before them. This proved to be true for two neighboring…

Education technology leaders are ever seeking new ways to eliminate the traditional social and geographic boundaries that hinder communication and collaboration for both K-12 students and educators. Larger districts with geographically dispersed schools often find that innovative ideas for technology use and integration are balkanized into…

By employing a new system perspective, the uses of technology in three school districts are examined. Problems with lack of equipment, professional development, and funding in New York City and San Diego (CA) schools are discussed. The experiences of the Iowa City School District illustrate that growth of the human and work-process infrastructure…

The job of overseeing a school district's technology program has grown exponentially in recent years as computers, the Internet, and other technology applications have become essential to the daily operation of schools. What are the essential skills needed to oversee a school district's technology program? The Consortium for School Networking…

Describes a project in Washington State's Central Kitsap School District that used Internet videoconferencing for providing asynchronous instruction in standard high school subjects. The project demonstrated how a math course can be taught by an instructor in one location to students in many locations, using only inexpensive conferencing software…

Discusses answers to four questions school districts should consider in assessing technology's contributions to education: How should students learn technology skills? Should technology-enhanced learning replace paper-and-pencil knowledge? Will appropriate student use of technology lead to higher test scores? How do we obtain or produce teachers…